Typing-projection system



Jan. 5, 1943. E. H. UNKLES TYPING-PROJECTION SYSTEM Filed Oct. 21', 1959 2 shejis sheet 1 INVENTOR.

ATTRNEYS.

Jan. 5, 1943. E, U K S 2,307,433

TYPING-PRQJECTIGN SYSTEM Filed Oct. 21, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'INVENTOR. I

W/MM ATT RNEYS.

Patentecl Jan. 1943 i THING-PROJECTION SYSTEM Edward H. Unkles, Weehawken, N. J.,' assignor to Trans-Lux Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application October 21, 1939, Serial No. 300,516

3 Claims.

My invention relates to a combination of narrow and broad tape typing devices or printers in association with one or more projection systems.

In accordance with my invention, a narrow tape typing or printing device and a broad tape typing or printing device are operated on the same electrical circuit, one or both of said typing or printing devices having associated therewith a projection system whereby images of the line of characters on the narrow tape and images of the lines of characters on the broad tape may be projected onto the respective screens of said projection systems.

Various other objects, advantages and features of my invention will become apparent from the following description.

My invention resides in the typing-projection system, combinations and features of the character hereinafter described and claimed.

For an understanding of my invention and for an illustration of some of the forms thereof, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a typing-projection system as arranged in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view, partly in section, of one of the typing devices shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a printing-projection system as arranged in accordance with my invention.

Referring to Figure 1, P represents a typewriter or typing device Well known in the art for typing or printing characters lengthwise on a narrow tape l which is ejected in a direction from left to right, Fig. 1, by suitable-mechanism forming a part of said typewriter or typing device. The typing device P herein shown is manufactured by the Teletype Corporation of Chicago, Illinois, and the characters are printed on a tape having a width of of an inch.

As shown on the drawings, the tape is drawn from left to right, Fig. 1, by a drawing roller 2 actuated in any suitable manner, not shown, the tape being suitably held in engagement with said roller 2, as by a pivotally mounted idler roller 3. The tape I, as it travels along its intended path from the typing device P to the drawing roller 2, is disposed flatwise in a horizontal plane with the typed characters facing upwardly. While passing along this path, a projecting light beam is passed upwardly through the tape and, to this end, there may be utilized an arrangement such as shown in Fig. 1 wherein a light beam from a lamp 4, or equivalent, passes horizontally through a condenser lens 5 and engages a mirror 6 by which the projecting light beam is deflected so as to pass upwardly in a vertical direction through a condenser lens I, through the overlying section of the tape and then through an objective lens 8 s0 arranged that the focal plane thereof coincides with the plane of the tape section above said condenser lens After the light beamemerges from the objective lens 8, it engages a suitable mirror system comprising the mirrors 9 and I!) from which said projecting light beam is directed horizontally into engagement with a suitable screen ll of the rear projection type so as to project on said screen images of the characters on the tape I as produced by the objective lens 8.

Referring further to Fig. 1, Pl represents a typewriter or typing device well known in the art for typing or printing lines of characters lengthwise on a broad tape 2|. The typing device P| herein shown is also manufactured by said Teletype Corporation and the characters are printed on a tape having a width of 8 inches, or less.

Referring to Fig. 2 and as more fully explained in U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,174,339, the typing device P| comprises a rotatable platen 22 which, as well understood, is mounted on a carriage which has a pivotal axis spaced from the platen. The, tape 2| passes from its supply roll (not shown), and then travels over the roller 23, then partly around the platen 22 with which it isheld in engagement by fingers 24. While in engagement with the platen 22, the type levers 25 are operated to type a line of characters transversely of the tape 2|. As more fully. explained in the aforesaid Letters Patent No. 2,174,339, the tape 2|, after it leaves the platen 22, may pass partly around a rod 26 which is disposed parallel with respect to said platen 22, the rod 26 being mounted on the pivotal carriage for the platen 22fand serving to maintain the tape 2| taut while the'platen moves from upper case to lower case position'or vice versa. Above the rod 26, the tape 2| passes from the casing of the typing device Pl through the usual slot provided in the top wall thereof.

Disposed above the typing device Pi is any suitable tape-drawing arrangement which, as'herein shown, may comprise a roller 21 operated by any suitable means (not shown), the tape being held in engagement with said roller 21 by a suitable idler roller 28. By the described web-drawing arrangement, the tape 2| is drawn upwardly from the typing device P| along substantially a vertical path and, while passing along this path, 'a prothe narrow tape.

jecting light beam passes therethrough, the projecting light beam being produced by a lamp 29, or equivalent, and passing horizontally in a direction from right toleft, Fig. 1, through a pair of spaced condenser lenses 3i and then through the adjacent section of the tape 2i. After leaving said tape 21, the projecting light beam passes horizontally into engagement with a mirror 3! by which it is deflected upwardly through an objective lens 32, the focal plane of which coincides with the section of the tape 2! in the projection field. After leaving the objective lens 32, the projecting light beam passes upwardly and engages a mirror 33 by which said projecting light beam is deflected along a horizontal path so as to come into engagement with a suitable rear projection screen 3-; on which appear images of the characters on the tape 2| as produced by the objective lens 32.

As shown in Fig. l, the typing devicesP and Pl are connected together by the cables 35 and 36. The cable 35 comprises conductors which deliver electrical power to the operating motors of the respective typing devices whereas the cable 36 comprises conductors which deliver to the typing devices current impulses for effecting the typing operations.

As well understood in the art, the current impulses above noted are produced at a central station and, over signaling circuits, as shown, are conducted to all of the typing devices in use. When a narrow tape typing device P and a broad tape typing device Pi are connected in the same signaling circuit as illustrated in Fig. I, it results that both of the devices P and Pi simultaneously type duplicate characters and hence the same message, the sole difference being that, with respect to the narrow tape device P, the message is a continuous line of characters extending longitudinally of the tape as indicated at la whereas, with the broad tape device Pi, the same message is conveyed by spaced lines of characters extending transversely of the broad tape 2! as indicated at 2m. When several of the typing devices P are located in different ofiices in the same building, for example, it will be understood that they may be connected in series with each other from the same signaling circuit.

Referring particularly to Fig. 2, the position of the typing key indicates the position of any line of characters as they are typed on the tape 2!. From a consideration of this view, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that, for normal line spacing as employed on Teletype typing devices Pl there are several lines of typed characters on that section of the tape 2| between the typing position and the bottom of the pro jection field. It results, therefore, that with the arrangement shown, there is considerable delay between the time that a' line of characters is typed on the tape 2! and the time that said line of characters enters the bottom of the projection field so that images thereof are projected onto the screen 34.

However, the situation is difierent with respect to the typing device P wherein the characters are typed in single line formation longitudinally of Therefore, with respect to said typing device P, the delay of any character in entering the projection field is measured only by the time that it takes to type a small number of individual characters whereas with the typing device Pl, the corresponding delay is measured by the time that it takes to print several lines of characters.

From the foregoing, it will be understood that, with the typing device P and its associated projector or projecting system, the message conveyed by the typed characters may be viewed by observation of the character images on the screen H almost immediately after the typing of those characters has been completed. In this respect, the typing device P and its associated projection system is decidedly advantageous over the typing device PI and its projector or projection system.

However, the length of narrow tape screens, such as the screen I I, do not usually exceed some five or six feet and, therefore, the length of the message displayed thereon at any one time is rather small. The situation is different, however, with respect to the screen 34 of the typing device PI, the screen last noted being of a height such that several lines of character images appear thereon at any one time. In this respect, the typing device PI and its associated projection system is more advantageous than the narrow tape arrangement.

In view of the foregoing, it will be understood that the people in an oiiice, auditorium or the like which is equipped with both of the typing devices P, PI of Fig. l and the associated projection systems, obtain current information by viewing the screen H and information which has been typed some time previously by viewing the screen 36. This is distinctly advantageous. However, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the use of the two typing devices P, Pi and associated projection systems in the same office, or equivalent. In a broader sense, the invention contemplates the use of different typing devices P, P! and their associated projection systems on the same signaling circuit and, in this connection, the invention is not confined or limited to the location of said typing devices P, P! together with their respective projection systems in the same ofiice, building or even the same area of a city.

While the invention finds a present preferred application in the use of a projection system in association with each of the typing devices P and Pl, it may be desirable, under some circumstances, to utilize a system omitting one of the projection systems, either the one for the narrow tape 1 or the one for the broad tape 2!.

It shall be understood that my invention is not to be limited to the utilization of ,typing devices P and PI as manufactured by the Teletype Corporation. Thus, in Fig. 3, I have shown a narrow tape printer P2 which may be and preferably is the usual Western Union high speed ticker mechanism embodying a rotatable printing wheel as customarily used in brokers ofiices for printing stock quotations lengthwise of a narrow tape 4!. In Fig. 3, I have also illustrated a Western Union printer P3 which comprises a rotatable type wheel 42 disposed in a horizontal plane, said type wheel 12 having inking rollers 63 associated therewith and the type wheel 42 cooperating with a movable platen 44 to print lines of characters transversely of a broad tape 65.

In view of the description relating to the form of the invention shown in Fig. 1, it will be un-- derstood that the printers P2 and P3 may be connected in circuit relation generally the same asthe typing devices P and PI, both as regards power and signals, in order to effect simultaneous operation of said printers P2 and P3 whereby duplicate characters are simultaneously printed on the respective tapes 4| and 45.

in accordance with the form of the invention shown in Fig. 3, I have shown projectors associated with the respective printers P2, P3 and, since these projectors may be substantially the same as the corresponding projectors of Fig. 1, the same reference characters have been used in connection therewith, no further description thereof being considered necessary.

It has been hereinbefore stated and it is well understood that the typing device Pl comprises type levers which cooperate with the platen 22 in order to effect the typing operation. The same is true with respect to the narrow tape typing device P. However, as regards said typing device P, the bank of typing keys are so located with respect to the entrance to the projection field that there is a somewhat longer tape section between the typing position and the entrance to said projection field than exists between the printing position of the rotatable type wheel of the printer P2 and the entrance to its projection field. Therefore, as regards the printer P2, the passage of a printed character into the projection field occurs more promptly than with the printer P and, in this respect, said printer P2 is more advantageous than is the printer P.

In the appended claims, the references to typing shall be understood as generically comprehending or including true typing as well as printing or other formation of the characters which are printed on the disclosed tapes.

While the invention has been described with respect to certain particular preferred examples which give satisfactory results, it will be understood by those skilled in the art after understanding the invention, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and it is intended therefore in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A projection system including in combination a pair of separate imprinting assemblies and electrical operating mechanisms for each of said assemblies, web supporting and shifting structures associated with each of said assemblies, said operating mechanisms being adapted to be coupled to a common energizing circuit whereby the separate assemblies will be caused to function in synchronism to imprint upon the webs individual to said assemblies similar indicia and means providing optical projection systems cooperative with the imprinted webs, one of said systems being disposed substantially adjacent the zone of imprinting said web and the second optical system being disposed to cooperate with the second web at a point substantially spaced from the zone at which said latter Web is in cooperation with its imprinting assembly.

2. A projection system including in combination a pair of separate imprinting assemblies and electrical operating mechanisms for each of said assemblies, web supporting and shifting structures associated with each of said assemblies, said operating mechanisms being adapted to be coupled to a common energizing circuit whereby the separate assemblies will be caused to function in synchronism to imprint upon the webs individual to said assemblies similar indicia and means providing optical projection systems cooperative with the imprinted webs, one of said systems being disposed substantially adjacent the zone of imprinting said web and the second optical system being disposed to cooperate with the second Web at a point substantially spaced from the zone at which said latter web is in cooperation with its imprinting assembly, the field of the latter optical system embracing imprinted indicia characters materially greater in number than the number of indicia characters imprinted upon the first named web and embraced in the field of said first named optical system.

3. A projection system including in combination a pair of separate imprinting assemblies and electrical operating mechanisms for each of said assemblies, web supporting and shifting structures associated with each of said assemblies, said operating mechanisms being adapted to be coupled to a common energizing circuit whereby the separate assemblies will be caused to function in synchronism to imprint upon the webs individual to said assemblies similar indicia, means providing an optical projection system cooperative with one of the imprinted webs and disposed substantially adjacent the zone of imprinting of the same whereby the indicia thereon will be projected substantially immediately as it is imprinted on the web, the web of the second assembly providing a permanent indicia record embracing information theretofore projected by the optical projection system cooperating with the first named web.

EDWARD H. UNKLES. 

